What you need to know about Overwatch's newest hero, Doomfist

Overwatch's debut cinematic trailer showed a battle in a museum over Doomfist's Gauntlet. Over two and a half years later, players will finally be able to wield it for themselves.

Doomfist, revealed today by Blizzard, is now playable on the Overwatch PTR. He is a highly-mobile offense hero with an emphasis on flanking and close-range assaults. Unfortunately, he does not yet have any cosmetic items including skins, sprays or emotes.

Still, we have all his abilities, and some additional details about the character and voice acting.

Hand Cannon

Doomfist's primary fire is a short-range shotgun blast built into his left (non-gauntlet) hand that can store up to four shells. It cannot be reloaded manually, but the shells replenish slowly over time.

It seems to do very respectable damage, but the developer update noted that it is intended to be Doomfist's backup option and not a consistent strategy for the character.

Rocket Punch

Doomfist's alternate fire is Rocket Punch. This ability can be charged, and when released unleashes a devastating charging punch that passes through barriers. The enemy hit by the attack is knocked back, and if they collide with a wall, they take extra damage.

In testing the ability, it seemed like the hero had to hit a surface pretty close to straight-on to take the bonus damage. Heroes hit by the ability seem to slide off of walls that presented too little surface due to a steep angle.

The ability can be charged and released immediately, but there is also a grace period where it can be held after it reaches full charge. When used after his Rising Uppercut, the punch lets Doomfist "air-dash."

The charge can be cancelled by firing Hand Cannon, but it will trigger the ability's 4-second cooldown.

Seismic Slam

Doomfist's E is Seismic Slam, which lets him leap forward and smash the ground, dealing damage in a frontal cone.

While in the air, an indicator for the ability is shown: a cone emanating from the point of impact. An airborne Doomfist can travel a very long distance with this ability, making it a useful mobility tool, but it can only be targeted on surfaces below him.

Rising Uppercut

Shoryuken! Doomfist punches as he jumps, knocking an enemy in front of him into the air. Following up with a Rocket Punch gives Doomfist some forward movement, and can be used to smash airborne foes.

Whether or not he hits an enemy, Doomfist gains some altitude, so the ability is useful for mobility or even to set up a seismic slam. It can be used while falling, as well.

Meteor Strike (Ultimate)

When you absolutely, positively, have to drop the hammer on your opponent, there's Meteor Strike. This ultimate ability lets Doomfist jump into the air and gives him a targeting circle for the inevitable drop to earth. The ability deals heavy damage and stuns opponents.

The Best Defense... (Passive)

Doomfist doesn't just punch people, he also likes punching people. When Doomfist deals damage with his abilities, but not his primary fire, he gains temporary shielding.

Threat Assessment

While we don't have any information about skins, we do know that Doomfist — real name Akande Ogundimu — is a member of the leadership of the nefarious organization known as Talon. His philosophy is that conflict strengthens humanity, and so he endeavors to strengthen himself by spreading as much conflict as possible. When you can destroy buildings by punching them, that doesn't seem particularly difficult.

The current Doomfist also killed the previous bearer of the gauntlet and title, a man named Akinjide Adeyemi who was a mercenary and fought for Talon. Eventually, he overcame his mentor and claimed the gauntlet, but was later captured and imprisoned by Overwatch.

The idea that conflict improves the survivor, and that killing one's mentor is an important part of personal development, bears some startling similarities to the Sith Order from the Star Wars universe.

He isn't voiced by Terry Crews

Despite the fan support for a Crews-voiced Doomfist, it appears that he did not get the final nod for the voice role. A visit by Crews to Blizzard HQ earlier this year seemed to imply he might appear in the role... though it doesn't entirely preclude a future appearance of some other kind.